“For years, we have had to put up with dirty looks and threatening remarks,” “I’ve been asked to go back home (even though I am home).” Described is a quote by a Muslim woman, Taslima Amar, about what happen in her homeland of France in a recent New York Times article describing the disturbing reality of Muslim women in Europe. This brings to question, why or the headscarf such a contest piece of clothing? For a question that women still deal with in present day we can refer back to history and the interaction between Islam and Europe that formed the idea, beliefs and viewpoints of people towards each other.

Throughout the semester and still leading up to the end of the course we have examined many various thought-provoking different pieces that all have a common denominator of religion and difference. To vaguely answer the question, “Why is the headscarf such a contested piece of clothing?” we can answer that because it is deeply engrained in European history that Muslims are fundamentally different, almost as if they are completely different “other” beings, much of what they do is under great scrutiny and the headscarf is by no mean an attempt to assimilate or integrate into European culture. Chapter 3 of Politics of the Veil is entirely about secularism, or becoming worldly. Because “worldly people” do not wear headscarf, this is a clear sign that the Muslim women who wear these are by no means attempting to assimilate to French or European customs, but rather stick out purposely in society. To continue with that and the imperialism that took place in French history, it is evident that French feel as though they are superior to certain neighboring countries, especially those who are of Muslim in religion. After all, it was the French who had to civilize these savages in the colonization of the early 1900s, right?